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Global

Resident and wheelchair user demonstrating the difficulties of mobility around the informal settlements surrounding the city of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
Global

Working towards inclusive infrastructure in cities around the world

Assistive technology (AT) can improve lives, but only if the surrounding environment enables its effective use. In particular, cities and buildings need to be accessible and inclusive, as this helps to create an enabling environment for disabled people. GDI Hub Co-founder and Director of Inclusive Design, Iain McKinnon, is leading research on inclusive design in cities across the developing world.

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A man photographed in a workshop making Assistive Technology
Global

Local systems strengthening for manufacturing assistive technology

Assistive technology (AT) is often manufactured in places located far away from the intended users. The fragility of global supply chains, and the fact that some personalisation is often required for AT, means that those with AT needs cannot always get the products they need. Research fellow Dr Ben Oldfrey is working with local partners in countries across the world to see how local manufacturing and innovation can support the supply of AT.

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Kenyan man holding a prosthesis
Global

Improving prosthetic liners using wearable sensors, 3D printing and deep learning

Prosthetic liners sit in between the prosthetic device and the stump of amputees or people with congenital limb difference. They make a profound difference to the comfort of using prosthetics, but liners often do not account for differences in stump shapes, or growth, particularly in children. Research fellow Dr Ben Oldfrey has created sensor skins that can help to create more comfortable and bespoke solutions to prosthetic liners.

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Text graphic 'GDI Hub Accelerate LiveLabs' with a lightening bolt
India | Kenya | Global

Furthering user centred design for assistive technology around the world

Innovation is happening across the world in all fields, and developing solutions for people with disabilities is a compelling area to innovate in. Yet in many cases, the intended users of new innovations are not meaningfully involved in the design process. Postdoctoral researcher Tigmanshu Bhatnagar is working on a programme of activity to make user centred design a central part of assistive technology innovation.

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Amadu leads group work with partially sighted participants
Global

Storytelling and community building for people with disabilities

There are various reasons why people with disabilities have not always been able to share their experiences or advocate for themselves and their communities. Postdoctoral researcher Maryam Bandukda is working with communities across the world to build skills and opportunities for disabled people to meaningfully engage on the subjects that matter to them.

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Four people are photographed, sat in a conference discussing work
Global

Forecasting assistive technology needs in aged and ageing populations

In our ageing world, assistive technology (AT) needs will increase. Yet there is little understanding about how and when access to AT will change as populations get older. Jamie Danemayer is a PhD student, co-supervised by UCL and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, who is working to maximise sparse data in this field and build a model that will forecast future AT needs.

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An illustration of two way collaboration between disabled people online
Global

A Workshop on Disability Inclusive Remote Co-Design

In this workshop, we aim to bring together researchers, designers, and practitioners to explore effective strategies and brainstorm actionable guidelines for supporting disability inclusive online research methods and platforms.

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Global

Assistive Technology 2030: technical research

AT2030 (Assistive Technology 2030) brings together partners who haven’t traditionally focused on assistive technology (AT), with experts, innovators and AT users to experiment with new ideas and thinking.

GDI Hub Academic Research Centre provides robust evidence of the effectiveness of the AT2030 projects to drive evidence and knowledge.

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PrimeVR2 Lgogo
Global

Prime-VR2

The PrimeVR2 project is a Horizon 2020 project where commercial, academic and research teams are building a virtual reality platform that will allow people with a hyperkinetic movement disorder, people who have had a stroke, and people with a sports injury to play games and interact in a virtual environment for rehabilitation.

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A man sitting in front of a folding wheelchair
Global

AT 2030: Life Changing Assistive Technology for All

Over five years, AT2030 will test ‘what works’ to improve access to AT and will invest in and support solutions to scale with a focus on innovative products, new service models, and global capacity support. The programme will reach 9 million directly and 6 million more people indirectly to enable a lifetime of potential through life-changing Assistive Technology.

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Female in a wheelchair carrying a water bottle in an informal settlement. Kid walking in the back.
Global

AT2030: Drive Availability and Affordability of Assistive Technology

To address the need gap and significantly scale up the provision of affordable and appropriate Assistive Technology, this sub-programme will test market shaping methodologies which include research, scoping, and future planning; the creation of market shaping tools; and pilot testing of market interventions. This sub-programme is led by the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI).

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A workshop room showing a range of wheelchairs including a hand powered bike in the foreground.
Global

Research, Evidence and Impact - as part of the AT2030 programme

The AT2030 Sub-Programme on “Research, evidence and impact” seeks to understand ‘what works’ and develop a framework for the innovations and policy interventions across the AT2030 programme.

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Resident and wheelchair user demonstrating the difficulties of mobility around the informal settlements surrounding the city of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
Global

Working towards inclusive infrastructure in cities around the world

Assistive technology (AT) can improve lives, but only if the surrounding environment enables its effective use. In particular, cities and buildings need to be accessible and inclusive, as this helps to create an enabling environment for disabled people. GDI Hub Co-founder and Director of Inclusive Design, Iain McKinnon, is leading research on inclusive design in cities across the developing world.

View project